January 2026 Author and Community Events at The Seattle Public Library
release date: January 12, 2026
Celebrate winter at the Library by making a zine, celebrating the 60th anniversary of “Dark Shadows,” discovering meet-cute poetry in the heart of the Central Library with guest curator Amber Flame, and more. Find all our book-related events, including a variety of book and writing programs, at our Books and Authors calendar. Find information and registration through the event links below.
All Library events are free and open to the public. Many of these events are supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation. Registration is not required unless noted.
UPCOMING AUTHOR AND COMMUNITY EVENTS
Celebrating Our Dementia-Capable Community. Thursday, Jan. 22, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave. Join us for an inspiring afternoon with Dr. John Zeisel, as he shares a profoundly hopeful vision of the future of dementia care and how a “Dementia Capable” community can build the scaffold to support people living with dementia and their care partners. Dr. Zeisel is the founder of The I’m Still Here Foundation and author of "I’m Still Here, A Breakthrough Approach to Understanding Someone Living with Alzheimer’s." Registration is required.
- “Stacks o' Sound! Listening & Games Party, 1975-76.” Thursday, January 22, from 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Broadview Branch. Celebrate the Broadview Branch’s 50th anniversary by joining us for a listening party that takes a musical trip back to Broadview's first years. You might hear Wings, Boston, early Heart, Bowie, Stevie, or ELO, and the era's most popular games will also be on hand.
- Broadview Branch 50th Anniversary Celebration. Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, from 11 a.m. 5:30 p.m. The Broadview Branch opened December 15, 1975 after a lengthy campaign by neighbors and was dedicated on January 25, 1976. Join staff and community members to celebrate this anniversary with live music, refreshments, memories, prizes, and the opportunity to learn about Broadview’s history from local historians. See the full schedule of events on our calendar event.
ZAPP Zine Collection Winter Open Hours and Zine-Making Drop-In. Saturdays, January 24 through March 14, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 7 Zine Room. Browse one of the world's largest collections of zines made in Seattle and beyond, and make one of your own with free zine-making supplies that we’ll have on hand. Originally part of Richard Hugo House, ZAPP (the Zine Archive & Publishing Project) is a library of over 30,000 zines, minicomics and other self-published and small press titles.
Guest Curator Amber Flame presents “Rooting for the Future.” Sunday, Jan. 25, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join us for the kickoff event of “We Belong Together,” a new series curated by writer and artist Amber Flame that explores the delight and connectivity in collective care. “Rooting for the Future” will discuss practical learning tools such as collective farming, micro-communities using barter and trade systems, foraging groups, and root- and medicinal knowledge sharing. Registration is required.
Family, Memory and War with Bill Thorness. Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. West Seattle Branch. Seattle author Bill Thorness considers the value and limits of memory, attitudes toward war, and our society’s inadequate understanding and support of combat veterans in his new book “All Roads Lead to Rome: Searching for the End of My Father’s War.”
Fall Back in Love with Dark Shadows. Thursday, Feb. 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Celebrate the 60th anniversary of "Dark Shadows" with a live reading of an episode, a reading from Craig Herd-McKenne’s new graphic novel, "A Curse of Dark Shadows," and an author Q&A and book signing. With Haunted Burrow Book and HWA Seattle. Registration is required.
Miz Floes presents "Royalty Revisited." Thursday, Feb. 19, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join multidisciplinary artist Miz Floes for an evening of spoken word fused with theater. Miss Barbara and Miss Rosa Lee reminisce about the neighborhood of their youth while seeking to restore the once-thriving community of their memories. Can they restore the neighborhood and change the narrative? Registration is required.
“Meet Cute at the Library.” Sunday, Feb. 22, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Central Library Level 4 (the Red Floor), Room 1. The second event in guest curator Amber Flame’s series was inspired by a cheap date suggestion by “The Stranger” to find a book of love poems and read together on the Central Library’s Red Floor. At our re-creation, local performers will share poems and short stories that celebrate all kinds of love, and participate in a panel on writing the heart. Registration is required.
Michiko Aoyama discusses "Hot Chocolate on Thursday." Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. The bestselling author of “What You Are Looking For Is in the Library" will discuss her new Japanese cozy novel, a tapestry of slice-of-life moments that open and close with a woman ordering her regular hot chocolate at the mysterious Marble Cafe. Registration is required.
KUOW Book Talks with Author Coll Thrush. Thursday, Feb. 26, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join KUOW’s Katie Campbell in conversation with Indigenous Studies Professor Coll Thrush to explore the stories behind his new book, "Wrecked: Unsettling Histories from the Graveyard of the Pacific." “Wrecked” is a haunting and deeply researched look at the Northwest Coast, where more than 2,000 shipwrecks reveal powerful histories of place, people, and survival. With Third Place Books. KUOW Live Events are sponsored by Phinney Ridge Painting and Microsoft. Registration is required.
About The Seattle Public Library
The Seattle Public Library believes that the power of knowledge improves people's lives. We promote literacy and a love of reading as we bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and empower community. Find more events at www.spl.org/Calendar.
Contact the Library’s Ask Us service by phone at 206-386-4636 or by email or chat at spl.org/Ask. Staff are ready to answer questions and direct you to helpful resources and information. Find out more about our future plans at www.spl.org/StrategicPlan.